For 2018, GMC rolls out a trim new, second-generation version of its Terrain compact crossover. The previous Terrain was a hefty outlier. A compact by cabin volume, its plus-sized exterior occupied a no-mans land between compact and midsize. Terrain sold well, but its weight took...
For 2018, GMC rolls out a trim new, second-generation version of its Terrain compact crossover. The previous Terrain was a hefty outlier. A compact by cabin volume, its plus-sized exterior occupied a no-mans land between compact and midsize. Terrain sold well, but its weight took...
A correction is needed for the March 30th column, “Errors as learning tools.” The title was apropos, since I made an error in the column’s text, and I have learned to proofread more carefully as a result. When referring to a “free” left turn upon…
The sudden and seismic rise of crossovers caught many automakers flat-footed. More than one is still playing catch-up. Not Toyota. Japan’s No. One brand is thriving under the industry’s new crossovers-first terms of engagement. Year in and year out, its RAV4 and Highlander CUVs sell…
Nissan’s Rogue was one of two compact crossovers to crash the 400,000-unit sales mark last year. In the process, it and Toyota’s RAV4 became the first CUVs to displace sedans as the country’s best-selling non-trucks. (Pickups remain the country’s best selling vehicles.) Rogue’s sales momentum...
The automobile innovation stream has flowed generously for over 100 years. It has supplied a variety of new vehicle features — many becoming new standards — some surprisingly simple. Of all the doodads offered over the years, whether simple or complex, consumer acceptance determines whether…
In a world of beautiful cars, is it possible to judge one more beautiful than the rest? The 82 members of World Car Awards jury think so. Last month they conferred World Car Design of the Year honors on Land Rover’s new Range Rover Velar....
Nobody looks forward to seeing “Road Work Ahead” signs while driving. Those warnings foreshadow miles of detours, single lanes, and lowered speed limits. But even though we dislike the slowdowns that accompany them, those warning signs also represent good things in our collective future: better…
Since we’ve had automotive DNA on the brain lately, this seems like a good time to check in on Volkswagen. As it happens, VW is rewriting its genetic code as we speak. Known for cars that were often edgy and almost always fun to drive,...
I am so thankful for the annual arrival of the spring equinox. My apologies to those who love winter, but I am markedly gratified when we experience the first 50-degree-plus temperatures accompanying the advent of spring, leaving the snow and ice behind. The satisfaction of…
Last week, we noted the ways strategic automakers steep their lineups in pools of shared DNA. "Driving one tells you all you need to know about the rest,” we said. We used a pair of Mazda crossovers — the CX-5 and CX-9 — as our...
During driving, driving errors occur. Please tolerate other’s mistakes, but don’t tolerate your own. If you are lucky enough to live through their mistakes, you should learn from them. If another driver commits an infraction of driving’s formal rules or informal etiquette, give them consideration,...
Is it plagiarism if I quote myself? Hope not since I’ve borrowed, with obvious modifications, the next three paragraphs from my recent take on Mazda’s midsize CX-9 crossover. The CX-9 CX-5 isn’t the quickest, the roomiest or the most powerful of the three-row compact crossovers....
Many of our driving frustrations involve time and our real or perceived lack of it. When drivers express displeasure with others’ driving behavior, it’s often because they are unfairly, illegally, or unnecessarily detaining us. Whether the irritation stems from slow vehicles detaining long strings of…
The best thing about surprises is they come in all shapes, sizes and price points. And also, you never see them coming. The redesigned 2018 Kia Rio qualifies on all counts. Seems appropriate, considering Kia’s “The Power to Surprise” tagline. Sometimes even Marketing gets it...
Precision driving requires that drivers understand their vehicles, know the rules of the road and continually hone their driving skills. Good things happen, or at least bad things are less likely to, when we adhere to those basics while operating our vehicles. Given the principles…
In 2017, the Toyota Camry lost its standing as the best-selling passenger car in the U.S. Fifteen years of dominance, gone in a flash. Weep not for Toyota, though. It was a sibling that dethroned the champ, after all. Last year, Toyota’s compact RAV4 became...
Application of sun screening material to motor vehicle windows is a large business. The popularity of the concept has many vehicles coming directly from the manufacturer with this option chosen for the side and rear glass. Also, leaving open the potential for non-compliance, tinting is...
Like the first crocus after a long winter, signs of new life are appearing at Mitsubishi. There isn’t room — or reason — to detail here Mitsubishi’s recent woes. In a nutshell, though, it has weathered a string of bad years. Mitsu is one of...
An iconic quote attributed to exotic car builder, Enzo Ferrari, asserts, “What’s behind you doesn’t matter.” Ferrari’s quote is a reference to going ever fast and forward, but no automaker would utter those words today. It turns out that what’s behind you matters very much...
When she had a point to make, my mother often relied on adages. If I wanted something spendy — a pair of Levi’s, say, instead of the usual jeans from Sears — she’d say I had champagne tastes on a beer budget. Fair enough. Even...
We can drive in any state in America, but should avoid driving in the state of drowsiness. Drowsiness holds its own when compared to drunkenness and distraction as a cause of motor vehicle accidents. In fact, drowsy drivers are responsible for as much death, injury…
In a conversation the other day, T.H. told me that her relatively new battery sometimes fails to start her car. That likely happens because her trips are too short to fully charge a semi-drained battery. Today’s vehicles draw some battery power for computers even when…
Bathed in a look-at-me color called Sunshine Orange and equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, Subaru’s Crosstrek seemed to promise a week of fun. I harbored hopes that the little all-wheel-drive hatchback would drive something like a lifted version of Subaru’s sprightly WRX. I should…
Each February in Spokane, potential buyers, car buffs and those simply seeking that new car smell are lured to the Spokane County Fair and Expo center. There, they’ll get to view, sit in and drive new vehicles from American and foreign manufacturers. A year of…
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